Rising to popularity nearly a decade ago, Coco O.’s voice brought into focus a distinct level of unheard soul as the Danish duo Quadron, emerged in the U.S. Thanks to the democratization of music through the internet and alongside producer Robin Hannibal, the electronic soul genre the two explored, felt like a time capsule of sticky melodies wrapped in the resonance you might imagine hearing inside of a church.
The self-titled album, Quadron (2009), made its rounds through the digital world, complete with visibility on MySpace socially and through remixes on Soundcloud. Los Angeles’ famed KCRW DJ’s Anthony Valadez and Aaron Byrd took fond notice of Coco O. and Robin, who at the time were under the guidance of cultural liaison and manager Anthony Demby of Humbleriot and within weeks of signing to indie label Plug Research.
Capturing the attention of music industry veterans Jimmy Iovine and Sylvia Rhone, and eventually signing to Epic Records where Rhone is now CEO, the two released their second studio album Avalanche (2013) followed by a somewhat short-lived journey through the mainstream label system.
Coco grew up with grandparents who were both artists and was a substitute teacher when she met Robin in Copenhagen. Attributing her entrepreneurial beginnings as an artist in large part to her location, Coco gives context around the culture of the place she calls home, “Denmark is a good launch pad for a startup because you're never really going to fail,” she says, “we're a socialist country, so bring broke in Denmark is a lot more privileged than being broke almost anywhere else in the world.“ Starting out with minimal expectations, the first Quadron album was made out of a basem*nt with a less than a $10,000 budget. Conversely, size matters when it comes to building and monetizing an audience, “Denmark is just so small, so it's really hard to make a lot of money – you know what I mean? If you make music that is a little bit more eclectic, your audience is narrowed down to like 50 people,”jokes Coco, with an undertone of seriousness.
Prior to forming Quadron, Robin Hannibal collaborated as one of two producers in collective Boom Clap Bachelors, which rose in popularity through 'Tiden flyver', the main sample in Kendrick Lamar’s “Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe” song, subsequently receiving a Jay-Z remix treatment and Lady Gaga feature. A four-time Grammy Award nominated producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Robin Hannibal has also worked with James Blake, Yore, Anderson Paak, Little Dragon, Skrillex, Yuna and DVSN.
Popular music was undergoing an electronic moment during Quadron’s arrival and so was independent artistry. Technology began to democratize genre in the music business when platforms like MySpace, Tumblr and Twitter garnered users at an exponential rate removing the urgent need for a record label to give an artist “exposure.” For the first time ever, musicians were able to create music on their own, and upload directly to places like Soundcloud, where they could build global audiences seemingly overnight. That’s how I was connected to Quadron, specifically Coco, who I interviewed in 2011 for the now defunct Mint Collective, a blog I started in 2007 to highlight and tell the stories of niche global music. Coco, at the time, was timid yet confident, clear in her vision as an artist and told me when asked how to explain her sound to someone like my grandmother that “it depends on if your grandmother is listening to soul music.”
Since her divergence from Quadron in 2014 and after a long stint in Los Angeles, in 2017 Coco moved back to her hometown of Copenhagen, building upon a career as a singer and songwriter, expanding on her skillset as an award-winning performer, producer and low key model. Coco went through what she calls an “uninspired” several year period where she wasn’t sure what identity to assume without the front-facing role as one half of Quadron, dependent on a producer. After finding solace in the creative process, Coco explains that “taking over your own process and learning how to produce yourself,” was healing for her.
After a lengthy hiatus, Coco released dolceacqua, a moody EP with contemplative, emotional songs, “Bled for You,” and “A Minor Detail,” which were both recorded in Brazil. Music blog Soulbounce, describes the project as “introspective and poetic,” noting “an almost Sade-like quality,” as Coco details a trip to the region of Italy and a subsequent recent heartbreak through her vocal storytelling.
Through a Sony (Scandinavia only) licensing partnership, streaming royalties, live performances and an extremely low overhead, Coco has been able to sustain a healthy financial position as an independent artist for over a decade. To the surprise of Coco and her fans alike, a nearly 6 minute of sample of her voice appears in Drake’s “Lemon Pepper Freestyle” with Rick Ross, pulling from a live recording of Quadron's "Pressure (Live),” which was in fact recorded inside of a church in Highland Park, Los Angeles. The optics associated with a mainstream sample might imply substantial financial gains for the rights holders and while it’s uncertain what sort of split Quadron may receive, Coco is confident that her and Robin are “definitely going to get what we deserve.”
Living simply has catalyzed a new chapter of creativity for Coco, driving her to take agency over her music, especially with her first full length album in 8 years, It’s a Process, which she fully self-funded. “Taking over my own process and learning how to produce myself has been pretty big for me. I felt like I was being sent out to so many different sessions as a vocalist. It would always be with the famous producer type who always had an idea for me – and that just set me back. I think a lot of artists are going through the same thing and they feel like they have to live up to the producers instead of being themselves. It's been really important for me to kind of take over that – that control – especially as a woman where it is always expected for you to have someone behind you – it’s kind of like a classic story.”
The culture of the “cosign” in music, typically involving a sort of sign off from a man, upon reaching a sustained level of confidence by key decision makers in the business, remains a latent reality for women-identifying musicians.
Coco admits being very dependent on Robin, laced with the fallacy that she’d have to “find a new Robin” when the two parted ways. With the realization that she could be productive on her own, Coco began curating the sound experience of It’s a Process (2021), which was mainly self-produced.
“I don't think Beyonce is sitting around waiting for a producer, you know what I mean?
